Last Tuesday I went to a concert at UMCL with the theme of
“Composers for Social Justice.”
The focal point of the night was the premiere of Barbara
Harbach’s “Symphony for Ferguson” (perhaps at UMCL because of its proximity to
Ferguson)
Barbara Harbach said that writing this symphony was her way
of dealing with the Ferguson tragedy: a way to put thoughts and feelings into
creativity for peace and healing.
The piece is divided into three movements: Heroes, The Fallen, and Together in Harmony.
Heroes portrays
all the men and women who came forward to help during the time of crisis.
The Fallen memorializes
all those who lost their lives.
Together in Harmony is
a wish for hope and peace, and I especially enjoyed this movement because the
orchestra joins together with a bass guitar and drum set to play “St. Louis
Blues” in a New Orleans groove style.
My question going in was: how can music, particularly music
with no words, serve as a tool for social justice?
Music without words has no inherent meaning; there is no
direct, concrete message being giving through the sounds.
After experiencing the concert and reflecting, though, I think that the meaning behind “Symphony for Ferguson” came
from the occasion and spirit of its performance.
By occasion and spirit, I mean that those of us in the theater all reflected on what happened in Ferguson, and this collective reflection, through the medium of music, is what gave “Symphony for Ferguson” its meaning beyond mere sounds.
The same goes for the other pieces of music played that night. In another context, Beethovens Eroica symphony may have just been a source of entertainment. But in the context of Tuesday's performance, it was a reflection on freedom and morality.
I had never really thought of music as serving a political
purpose. Music for me has always been listening for the joy of listening. But I think that going to this performance has helped me to
understand that music can be more than just a pretty picture on a wall. It can
have a real purpose: it can aim to change society.
Anyway, I have an interesting side-note about the night: I
got to the performance hall early and got a perfect seat right in the
middle, the spot with the best acoustics. Some people sat to my right not long
after I sat down. Later on, after “Symphony for Ferguson” ended, one of them stood and
started applauding the orchestra, and the conductor turned back and gestured
towards her: I was sitting next to Barbara Harbach, the composer, the whole time! I hope I
didn’t take the seat she wanted…
Thomas, it seems as if you greatly enjoyed the night at the symphony. Occasionally, I as well like to listen to classical music but its usually only once in a blue moon. Most songs do have a concrete meaning that you can decifer while listening so thats what I typically enjoy. As thinking about how to view classical music to have a meaning for Ferguson I came to the conclusion, based off what you provided, that the music was more of a "moment of silence". But for me, with no means to disrespect anyone, moments of silences are sad and deprssing. I belive that the classical music was to be more positive, or to feel the power that the community can create and "feed off of" to fight for what they believe and to honor those ho have died due to a social injustice. Also, very cool that you were sitting next to the composer!!
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